Britannia: outpost of empire -- Hadrian: the man, the emperor, and the grand design -- Building and manning the wall: legions and auxilia -- Fresh minds: Antoninus Pius to Septimus Severus -- The anatomy of Hadrian's wall -- Forts and towns: soldiers and civilians -- Life on the wall -- How Hadrian's wall worked: understanding the evidence -- Changing times and the end of empire -- Visiting Hadrian's wall -- Appendix: The known and probable garrisons of the forts on Hadrian's wall.

Abstract:

Stretching eighty miles from coast to coast across northern England, Hadrian's Wall is the largest Roman artifact known today. It is commonly viewed as a defiant barrier, the end of the empire, a place where civilization stopped and barbarism began. In fact, the massive structure remains shrouded in mystery. Was the wall intended to keep out the Picts, who inhabited the North? Or was it merely a symbol of Roman power and wealth? What was life like for soldiers stationed along its expanse? How was the extraordinary structure built-with what technology, skills, and materials? In Hadrian's Wall, Adrian Goldsworthy embarks on a historical and archaeological investigation, sifting fact from legend while simultaneously situating the wall in the wider scene of Roman Britain. The result is a concise and enthralling history of a great architectural marvel of the ancient world.--Publisher.

Summary

From an award-winning historian of ancient Rome, a definitive history of Hadrian's Wall

Stretching eighty miles from coast to coast across northern England, Hadrian's Wall is the largest Roman artifact known today. It is commonly viewed as a defiant barrier, the end of the empire, a place where civilization stopped and barbarism began. In fact, the massive structure remains shrouded in mystery. Was the wall intended to keep out the Picts, who inhabited the North? Or was it merely a symbol of Roman power and wealth? What was life like for soldiers stationed along its expanse? How was the extraordinary structure built--with what technology, skills, and materials?

In Hadrian's Wall , Adrian Goldsworthy embarks on a historical and archaeological investigation, sifting fact from legend while simultaneously situating the wall in the wider scene of Roman Britain. The result is a concise and enthralling history of a great architectural marvel of the ancient world.

Author Notes

Adrian Goldsworthy is an award-winning historian of the classical world. He is the author of numerous books about ancient Rome, including Caesar , How Rome Fell , Pax Romana , and Augustus . Goldsworthy lives in South Wales.